10 Actresses Whose Careers Didn’t Flourish After They Were Bond Girls

7. Britt Ekland

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Following her famous four-year marriage to Peter Sellers, Britt Ekland was building her career as a serious actress, appearing in mainstream and genre films such as Get Carter (1971), Endless Night (1972), Asylum (1972) and The Wicker Man (1973).

Having developed her acting chops, Ekland looked set to adopt leading lady status when she was cast as Double-0 Seven’s (Sir Roger Moore’s) former secretary and MI6 field agent, Mary Goodnight in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).

Much-lambasted as one of the weakest elements of that particular film and often named as the one of worst Bond Girls (if not the worst), Britt Ekland returned to horror films after Bond, before moving into television, theatre and pantomimes.

Then-Miss Moneypenny, Lois Maxwell later noted how Ekland had claimed that she would break the “Bond Girl Curse” by becoming an acting sensation. Even though she had been inspired to become a Bond Girl because of Ursula Andress’ performance as Honey Ryder in Dr. No (1962), Britt was convinced that not even Andress had enjoyed cinema success following her appearance in the franchise.

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I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.